Objectives: The purpose of the family nurse practitioner program will be: (1) to prepare registered nurses with varied educational backgrounds in a minimum period of time to function independently in providing primary health care within designated situations; (2) to evaluate whether this program of remedial education for registered nurses and changes in undergraduate education produces nurses who meet the stated objectives; and (3) to assess the effectiveness of such persons on the level of health care in those communities in which these family nurse practitioners are based. Methods: Utilization of joint nursing and medical faculty in a collaborative manner to present a curriculum including didactic and clinical experiences (including preceptorships ) in a variety of settings. Formulation of a multidisciplinary evaluation team (consisting of nurses, physicians and behavioral health scientists) to design and carry out an on-going programmatic evaluation.